Nevada County picayune., 1887-02-23
THE BALCH RAILROAD BILL.
Synopsis of it's Provisions as
 Passed by the House.

pass the Senate and become 'a"'- No material changes, by amend ment, was en.raited on the bill:
 Sec. 1 Prohibits any unjust dis elimination or unreasonable charge for transportation of passengers or property over any railroad m the State. making the corporation guilty of cNtortion who makes such unjust observation-disclosures. and, npoA conviction, subject to punishment.
 Sec. ,. Makes it unlawful for any person or corporation engaged ln the transportation of passengers or property to demand or receive from any person, firm, company or corporation any greater or less rate or amount of compensation than Is demanded or received from any other person, firm, etc., for sub stantially the sam: servlces, or to allow any rebate. drawback III any form, or to make any preference in furnishing cars or motive pow CT. And all persons shall be fur nished without discrimination or delay equal and sufficient facilities for the transportation of passcn- gers or freight.
 See. 5 makes it unlawful for any railroad company to enter into the company to enter into any combi- nation tor the pooling ot freight of different railroads to issue at re. duced rates emigrant, excnrslon or cOmmutatiOn tlcketS.
 1 Sec. II provides that 1t shall be unlawful for any railroad to re- 1 ceive a greater amount of comDeh- sation for d shorter than for a lon ger distance, and the road includes all the railroads i'll use by 1t.
 See. , requires railroads to keep posted upin every one fits depots scedule of It's rates.
 See. 6 establiShe. penalty for violating the provisions of the lore: going sections, that the ral'road shall pay the person damaged three times the amount Of damages sustained.
 Secs. : to P inclusive create q board of railroad commissioners, define their duties and prescribe the extent of their powers.
 The commission Is to consist or three commissioners, no two ot whom shall be from the same con pressional district, one of the com missioners shall be ] civil engineer, their term of office to be for four years, and shall each give bond in l the sum of Sl0,O00. The eommls- sioners are to be appointed by the gov, rnor by and with the advice of the senate, and receive 5000 each per annum salary. They are to have clerk who is to receive $500 per annum. Any vlo- 1 lation of their duty or corruption bv the commissioner subject them to a fine of not less than 5000 nor more than S5000, removal from ot- fee and imprisonment in the pehi- i teIltiary not less liian one anu hot more than three years.
 Within fifteen days after notice every railroad is required to fur nish the commissioner with the rate sheet and tariff of charges for transportation of every kind, and the commissioners are to examine and revise them for such railroad and regulate the charges as In their | judgment justice to the pubic and railroads may require. When de- cided by the commission they are to attach certificate of charges aud that shall be the rate which the railroads shall charge.
 The commission is to hear all complaints and take testimony and conduct investigations i'll the man ner which seems to them best. Railroads are to furnish the com mis son with all information lequir | ed relative to the management of their lines. Each railroad in the state is to make quarterly returns of it's business to the commission. The commissioner are to in spect each railroad in the state at least once in each year. and have the power to require any road to repair any defects in it's road.
 The office of the commission shall be at Little Rock. They are to make anual reports to the gov enor showing the actual working condition of the entire railway system of the state. Any viola ton by railroad of the tariff of charges fixed by the commission subjects it to d penalty to be re- covered by an action brought in the name of the state i'll the cOun- ty in which the violation may Oc eur.
 It is made the duty of the com mission on the complaint of any person to investigate the charges made against railroad and take such action as the facts justify.
 Below we also give the vote by which the bill passed, which shows Capt. Ansley, the Greenback rep reseutative from this counly. vot- ed against it, and in favor of the railroads:
 |. Ayes Messrs. Baker, Balch, Blackburn, ] Blythe. Booc, Briscoe, Burton, Campbell. Compton. Conrad Corbcll, Donohoo. Dunn, ] Fitzgerald, Fowler, Cranberry, Halliburton, Harley Head, Hicks, Hill, Holt, Hooper,